This invention relates to children's ride-on vehicles, and specifically, to a dashboard assembly for such a vehicle.
A variety of children's ride-on vehicles are known. One such vehicle is disclosed in my prior issued U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,958, issued Dec. 1, 1987, for a RIDABLE VEHICLE AND ASSEMBLY METHOD. The vehicle disclosed in the '958 patent is a fairly large structure and the body thereof is formed in sections, preferably by injection molding. The sections are joined together to form the complete vehicle. Such a construction is desireable for large vehicle in that the problems associated with injection molding a one-piece body for a large vehicle do not result in a cost-effective production mehtod. A body which is formed in multiple sections also allows the integral formation of auxiliary body parts on a single component of the vehicle.
In the case of small body vehicles, it is desireable to form the body as a single molded unit, thereby reducing assembly time and simplifying the molding process. However, with a single body piece, it is not possible to form many of the details in the mold and then subsequently to remove the body from the mold after formation. Particularly, it is not economically feasible to construct a mold in which a dashboard assembly is formed with the body because the dashboard assembly generally projects rearward over what is referred as the floor pan area of the vehicle, into which the riders feet are placed during vehicle operation.